Ten al-Shabaab militants have been executed in the central town of Galkayo on Saturday after being convicted previously for carrying out assassinations and attacks.
Authorities in Somalia’s Puntland region said they are hunting 3 other militants who were sentenced to death in absentia, ordering the security forces to shoot them at sight.
At least 15 people have been killed by ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) rebels since Wednesday, August 14, in the localities of Bana Congo, Limba, and Mayana, located in the territory of Mambasa (Ituri).
The New Civil Society of Mambasa reports that among the victims, eight lost their lives during a double attack that occurred on Thursday, August 15, which also caused the displacement of many farmers. The toll remains provisional, because the fate of about twenty other people, kidnapped by this armed group, remains unknown.
The attack which took place on Thursday, August 15 in the village of Mayana, located in the chiefdom of Babila Babombi, left five dead.
The victims were farmers caught in their fields. Later in the day, another group of ADF rebels attacked the town of Limba, killing three civilians.
Nouvelle société civile also reports that an attack carried out by the ADF on Wednesday, August 14 in Bana Congo, near Mungamba, left seven dead, and that at least 25 people were forcibly taken into the bush.
The security situation in the region has forced many residents to flee to Lolwa, while agricultural activities, the main source of livelihood for the local population, have been completely paralyzed.
Civil society actors in Mambasa are calling on the Government to organize military operations to track down these rebels, similar to the actions carried out in North Kivu, in order to dismantle this armed group which continues to sow terror in the region.
The Kiwanja - Mabenga road is cut at Kahunga. The wazalendo signed their entry. they progress towards Rutoboko 1km from Kiwanja.
The Wazalendo claim. to have captured 9 elements of RDF in Rangira.
The sources said the victims were killed on different dates for refusing to perform forced labor imposed by the rebel administration. Those killed also included two children.
The latest victim is a man named Mbogozi, from the village of Buruhula in Rugari. The man was beaten to death by the rebels for refusing to fetch water from a source located a long distance away in the surrounding hills. According to sources from this entity, the rebels tried to justify the killing by claiming that the victim was collaborating with the Nyatura militia of the Collectif des mouvements pour le changement (CMC), an armed group active in the Rutshuru territory.
The other twelve people killed the previous week are said to have suffered a similar fate. According to reports from local sources, some victims refused to comply with rebel orders to draw water or fetch firewood from the bush.
The same sources said that the rebels also banned the organization of mourning in the families of the victims.
If this true,then the M23 leadership must take this Matter seriously,it usually very dangerous for any rebel group to operate in an area where civilians have become biased and frustrated.The two most constant and undefeatable elements in any declared war are the geography of the area and the people any popularist rebel movement is working in.
Catholic Mariology is the systematic study of the person of Mary, mother of Jesus, and of her place in the Economy of Salvation in Catholic theology. According to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception taught by the Catholic Church, Mary was conceived and born without sin, hence she is seen as having a singular dignity above the saints, receiving a higher level of veneration than all angelic spirits and blessed souls in heaven. Catholic Mariology thus studies not only her life but also the veneration of her in daily life, prayer, hymns, art, music, and architecture in modern and ancient Christianity throughout the ages.
The four Marian dogmas of Mother of God, Immaculate Conception, perpetual virginity, and Assumption form the basis of Mariology. However, a number of other Catholic doctrines about the Virgin Mary have been developed by reference to sacred scripture, theological reasoning and church tradition. The development of Mariology is ongoing and since the beginnings it has continued to be shaped by theological analyses, writings of saints, and papal statements, e.g. while two of the dogmas are ancient, the other two were defined in the 19th and 20th centuries; and papal teachings on Mary have continued to appear in recent times.
In parallel to the traditional views, since the late 19th century, as Marian devotion became more pronounced in the Catholic Church, a number of other perspectives have been presented as a challenge to Catholic Mariology. Other Christian views see Catholic Mariology as unbiblical and a denial of the uniqueness of Christ as redeemer and mediator,and modern psychological interpretations see Mary as similar to mythical goddesses ranging from Diana to Guan Yin. Nonetheless, Christians in the Catholic Church, the Old Catholic Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Ancient Church of the East, the Independent Sacramental Movement, Anglo-Catholicism, and other High church Protestants continue to revere Mary as the greatest saint.
Marian Catholic dogmas present church teachings about Mary and her relation to Jesus Christ, held by the church to be infallible, and reflect the role of Mary in the economy of salvation.
De Fide Definita or De Fide Credenda doctrines have the highest degree of dogmatic certainty. These doctrines come in several forms, namely the sacred scriptures and apostolic tradition and teachings which have been specifically defined as revealed by an extraordinary definition by a pope or ecumenical council (extraordinary universal Magisterium), or those teachings infallibly taught to be revealed by the ordinary universal Magisterium. As in the case of the Immaculate Conception or the Assumption, these doctrines were held by the church prior to the date of official definition, but open for discussion. From the date of definition, they must be accepted by all members of the Catholic Church as contained specifically in the Deposit of Faith and owed supernatural faith in itself (de fide credenda).
There are four Marian dogmas specifically defined by the Magisterium among a large number of other dogmas and doctrines about the Virgin Mary – for example, the Annunciation of Mary is dogma because it is in the scriptures, but it has not been formally defined by the Magisterium. These four Marian dogmas include:
Mother of God Council of Ephesus (431)Mother of God, not that the nature of the Word or his divinity received the beginning of its existence from the holy Virgin, but that, since the holy body, animated by a rational soul, which the Word of God united to himself according to the hypostasis, was born from her, the Word is said to be born according to the flesh.
Perpetual virginity Second Council of Constantinople (553) and Lateran Synod (649) 'Perpetual virginity of Mary', means that Mary was a virgin before, during and after giving birth.
Immaculate Conception Pope Pius IX (1854)Mary, at her conception, was preserved immaculate from Original Sin.
Assumption into heaven Pope Pius XII (1950)Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.
Mary's motherhood of God (Deipara in Latin) is a dogma of the Catholic Church.The term "Mother of God" appears within the oldest known prayer to Mary, the Sub tuum praesidium, which dates to around 250 AD: "Under thy protection we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God". This was the first specifically Marian doctrine to be formally defined by the church, formally affirmed at the Third Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus in 431. This refuted the objection raised by Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople.
Scriptural basis for the dogma is found in John 1:14 which states "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us" and in Galatians 4:4 which states "God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law". Luke 1:35 further affirms divine maternity by stating: "The holy Spirit will come upon you. ... Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God."
The dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium at the Second Vatican Council affirmed Mary as the Mother of God. "The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and Mother of the Redeemer."
This dogma is inherently related to the Christological dogma of the hypostatic union which relates the divine and human natures of Jesus Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that "Mary is truly 'Mother of God' since she is the mother of the eternal Son of God made man, who is God himself."According to Catholic teaching, sourced in the John 1:1-14, Mary did not create the divine person of Jesus, who existed with the Father from all eternity.
The Assumption of Mary by Charles Le Brun, 1835
This dogma states that Mary was assumed into heaven with body and soul. The Catechism (item 966) states:
The Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things.
Pope Pius XII discussed the Assumption in Deiparae Virginis Mariae (1946) and declared it a dogma in Munificentissimus Deus (1950).
Although the Assumption was only recently defined as dogma, accounts of the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven have circulated since at least the 5th century, and by the 8th century Andrew of Crete and John of Damascus had declared belief in it.The Book of Revelation (12:1) has been interpreted as referring to it; with her coronation implying her previous bodily assumption to heaven.
Before declaring the Assumption a dogma in Munificentissimus Deus in 1950, in the encyclical Deiparae Virginis Mariae (1946) Pope Pius XII obtained the opinion of Catholic bishops, and based on their overwhelming support (1210 among the 1232 bishops) proceeded with the dogmatic definition.The consensus of Magisterial teaching and liturgy affirms that Mary suffered death before her assumption, but this is not always accepted as settled doctrine. What is most clear is that her body was not left on earth to corrupt.
When responding to Pope Pius XII following the circulation of Deiparae Virginis Mariae, a large number of Catholic bishops pointed to the Book of Genesis (3:15) as a scriptural basis.[69] In Munificentissimus Deus (item 39) Pius XII referred to the "struggle against the infernal foe" as in Genesis 3:15 and to "complete victory over the sin and death" as in the Letters of Paul as a scriptural basis for the dogmatic definition, Mary being assumed into heaven also seems to verify 1 Corinthians 15:54: "Then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory".
This dogma states that Mary was conceived without original sin. This means that from the first moment of her existence she was preserved by God from the lack of sanctifying grace, and that she was instead filled with divine grace.
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception is distinct from and should not be confused with the perpetual virginity of Mary or the virgin birth of Jesus; for this dogma refers to the conception of Mary by her mother, Saint Anne, and not the conception of Jesus.
The feast of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated on December 8, was established in 1476 by Pope Sixtus IV, but the dogmatic definition came from Pope Pius IX in his constitution Ineffabilis Deus, on December 8, 1854.
The dogma states that Mary possessed sanctifying grace from the first instant of her existence and by a special and unique gift of God was free from the lack of grace caused by the original sin from the beginning of human history.In Fulgens corona (item 10) Pope Pius XII reaffirmed the concept by stating: "Who will dare to doubt that she, who was purer than the angels and at all times pure, was at any moment, even for the briefest instant, not free from every stain of sin?"
Ineffabilis Deus (as well as Pope Pius XII's Munificentissimus Deus on the Assumption) also teaches the predestination of Mary, in that she was preserved from sin due to the role reserved for her in the economy of salvation.This predetermination of Mary's role in salvation was referred to in Lumen gentium (item 61) which stated that she was "Predestined from eternity by that decree of divine providence which determined the incarnation of the Word to be the Mother of God."The definition in Ineffabilis Deus confirms the uniqueness of the Immaculate Conception as a gift from God to Mary, that Jesus might receive his body from one unstained by sin.
The Annunciation by Paolo de Matteis, 1712
This dogma states that Mary was a virgin before, during and after giving birth (de fide). This oldest Marian doctrine, (also held by Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox, and many other Christians) affirms Mary's "real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made Man."Thus, by the teaching of this dogma, the faithful believe that Mary was ever-Virgin (Greek ἀειπάρθενος) for the whole of her life, making Jesus her only biological son, whose conception and birth are held to be miraculous.
The doctrine of perpetual virginity is distinct from the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which relates to the conception of the Virgin Mary herself without any stain (macula in Latin) of original sin.
Virginity before birth
This means that Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit without participation of any man (de fide). The Greek term Aeiparthenos (i.e. "Ever Virgin") is attested to from the early 4th century. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (item 499) includes the term Aeiparthenos and referring to the dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium (item 57) states: "Christ's birth did not diminish his mother's virginal integrity but sanctified it."
Virginity during birth
This means that Mary gave birth without losing her corporal virginity (de fide) and her corporal integrity was not affected by giving birth.The Catholic Church does not teach how this occurred physically, but insists that virginity during child birth is different from virginity of conception.
Virginity after birth
This means that Mary remained a virgin after giving birth (de fide).This belief of the church was questioned in its early years.The scriptures say little about this, mentioning the brothers of Jesus, but never "sons of Mary", suggesting to the patristic writers a broader family relationship.
Alshabaab has published aftermath photos claiming yesterday's assault on Somali National Army bases near Balcad Town, 30 km north of Mogadishu. They claim killing at least 35 Somali National Army soldiers, capturing POWs, and seizing ammunition and logistical equipment.
Two people died and two others were injured in an attack on a truck carrying fuel. The incident happened on Wednesday, August 14 in Katwiguru, 20 kilometers northeast of the city of Kiwanja, in the territory of Rutshuru (North Kivu).
The attack came hours after another clash between the Wazalendo and the M23 in Mirambi, about 5 kilometres from the incident with the tanker truck. This clash also reportedly caused casualties on both sides.
According to concordant sources in Nyamilima and Kiwanja, the truck came from Ishasha on the border between the DRC and Uganda, where it had gone to stock up on fuel for Kiwanja.
It was carrying plastic tanks of fuel when it was attacked by gunmen in Katwiguru in the early hours of Wednesday. The gunmen reportedly fired a rocket at the vehicle, instantly killing the driver and other passengers on board.
Some sources speak of two deaths while others confirm the death of five people. The vehicle, belonging to a trader from Kiwanja, was completely burnt out.
It is difficult at the moment to identify the attackers, as the area is currently occupied by several armed groups: FDLR, Maï-Maï, Wazalendo and M23 who regularly clash.
Several localities in the Binza group remain under rebel(M23) occupation.
